What shoes do you lift/exercise in?

I ditched padded BS a long time ago. All my knee problems came from running in Brooks Beasts and other cushioned monstrosities. When I used to run, I'd run in these European minimalist shoes I spent a big penny on. They're black slip ons and they work for any use. I still own them and they're just as comfortable as when I purchased them.

I also have a pair of Vibrams that I'd occasionally run in, but the pair I have has hard plastic on the front that dicks into the front of my toes, so despite them being comfortable in all other aspects, the toe-digging makes them unbearable to run in after a couple of miles.

I haven't run since last summer, but decided I wanted a new pair of shoes for lifting and walking that aren't slipons, so I went to the Nike Store in search of Nike Free 3.0s. It was the only store in my city that I could find them in, but they didn't have my size so I settled for the 4.0s. They're very comfortable.

Right now I squat and deadlift in Converse All-Stars. Soon I'm going to get an affordable pair of squatting shoes. The Addistars are pretty but also pricey. Glenn Pendlay makes a line of lifting shoes that, for lifting shoes, is reasonably priced. For running I have a pair of Asics that I selected based on my arch height and foot pronation. Just as in serious men's dress, exercise shoes have to fit the occasion and the individual simultaneously.

When Deadlifting and Squating I wear Convers Chuck Taylors since they are hard rubber sole with no heel and high topped so they don’t shift.

For running I where whatever brand is lightest without coming up on my heels very high since I don’t wear socks running and like to keep the chaffing to a minimum. I also ensure they are fitted for my arch and food supination. For street running I used to love Nike Air Pegasus but had to ditch them for Asics a few years ago when Nike decided to bring the back of their shoe up so it chaffed on the skin of my Achilles Tendon. For trail running I use Brooks (can’t remember the model).

For the distances and places I used to run I would never use anything like Vibrams or other sole less shoes because of the things I’ve stepped on or picked out of my shoes after a run (glass, nails, syringes, scorpions, sharp rocks etc. . .). Nor would my feet, knees, hips or back have survived over 42k miles so far without cushioning. I’ve considered getting sole less shoes for doing sprints on the flat but right now I’ve got a nice hill to run them on so I have no need to switch away from cushioned shoes to sole less or racing flats to avoid turning an ankle sprinting on flat ground.

On a side not one nice thing about switching from ultra-running to lifting is the money savings. One year’s worth of shoes (I’d wear out a pair about every 3 weeks) bought almost all my weightlifting equipment.

For anything with legs, I lift in my socks. My gym didn't like it at first so I lifted in Chucks but they let me do it in just socks now. For days I am not squatting, deadlifting, etc, I just wear some cheap sneakers.

I squat, snatch and C&J in Adidas Ironwork II's. If I'm going for a max dead I'll probably just wear socks as deadlifting in the Ironworks is noticeably harder. If I'm on my C2 rower I use a pair of comfortable trainers.

I've been using some of those minimalist shoes for a while now, but they scraped some skin off my toe a few days ago; damn them, but I need something other than boots for the gym. I prefer not wearing any shoes at all, but who has the money for all that equipment...

Converse Chuck Taylors. Would recommend / 10.
Good for any exercise, except maybe power cleans. I don't do them much though, but when I do, it feels unnatural to be using Chucks.
But for squats, DLs, and any other compound exercise, they're great.

I've seen some people use Vibrams and flat, stylish Nikes.
Boots seem like a decent idea too, good ankle support, and flat sole.

Only thing is, if I ever want to do HIIT cardio, it kinda sucks cause most of the time I forget to bring running shoes and I hate running in Chucks.